LLI Spotlight: Ara Rogers, Director, OLLI-USF

By Peter Spiers

The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at USF (The University of Southern Florida) was founded in 1993—with support from what was previously called the Elderhostel Institute Network—as the USF Division of Senior Programs. The organization became an OLLI in 2005 and received $1 million grants from the Bernard Osher Foundation in both 2007 and 2008. Entering its 23rd year, OLLI-USF has 1,500 members who pay annual dues of $40 and additional course fees ranging from $20 to $85 depending on the number of class sessions, the venue, and the cost of class materials. While generally membership is required for class enrollment, exceptions exist where a partnership can be created and access to an appropriate venue can be secured; in a cooperative arrangement with the Tampa Bay History Center, for example, that organization’s members are able to enroll in OLLI courses offered there. Ara Rogers describes the prototypical OLLI-USF member as a “67-year-old woman with a master’s degree.” Unlike many parts of Florida, Tampa isn’t a retirement destination; most members are originally from somewhere else but moved to the area for work or to be near family. Ara leads a staff of five — three of whom are full-time employees. In addition to Ara, the other full-time staff includes Joseph McAuliffe, who coordinates liberal arts programming, and Charise Dixie, hired recently as registrar after the division of Continuing Education could no longer accommodate OLLI registration with its small staff.

Announcements

Aging In America Conference

From the American Society on Aging:

Join American Society on Aging in New Orleans next April to learn best practices and gain insights from leaders in the field about the current state of aging in America. AiA19 is the place to be for knowledge, inspiration and networking with others who are dedicated to improving the lives of older adults.

The 2019 conference will have a strong focus on critical and emergent topics facing the field of aging, as well as cutting-edge and responsive programmatic, research, policy and advocacy efforts. Interest areas include: emergency/disaster readiness, housing and transportation access, caregiving, substance use/opioid crisis, multiple aspects of dementia, technology and aging, intergenerational models, population health, shifting policy and legislative issues affecting older adults, and much more. Learn about innovative policies, programs, practices, models and businesses that you can use in your work with older adults. View and download the AiA19 Conference Announcement